Caroline Wozniacki beats Simona Halep to win Australian Open and first major

Wozniacki has become the first Danish Slam victor in history and has overtaken Halep to become the new World No.1 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings.

Halep has come much closer to breaking through, losing 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6 to Maria Sharapova in the 2014 French Open final, and agonisingly, to Jelena Ostapenko, an unseeded 20-year-old from Latvia, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, in last year's French Open final.

TheRoar.com.au: "Many believe Wozniacki to be peaking at the right time in her career, having previously reigned at the top of the rankings between October 2010 and January 2012, in between her two major final defeats in NY".

Wozniacki was growing in confidence and Halep needed to save four break points at 1-1 in the second set in a brutal game that lasted 11 minutes.

"I can still smile".

"At the end of the day, all we can do is take your moment, take your time, just go for it when you have the opportunity".

"I'm never going to get that question again". The mental and physical anguish from the turned ankle in her first match, having come into the tournament as one of the undoubted favourites, she admitted that if someone had told her two weeks ago she would be competing until the very last minute.

She said: "I'd been through a lot of injuries at that point". I was thinking: 'You know, it looks like it may not be my day'. "I'm sorry that I had to win, but I'm sure we'll have many matches in the future", Wozniacki said. "It was an incredible match and an incredible fight, again I'm sorry".

"You've coached me from the start", Wozniacki said.

A shattered Simona Halep says her Australian Open final loss to Caroline Wozniackl has hardened her resolve to break through at a major after three failed attempts.

Halep faltered in the final of a Grand Slam for the third time.

Looking back to her second-round victory over Jana Fett, when she saved two match points and came back from 5-1 down in the third set, Wozniacki said: "From being nearly out of the tournament to sitting here with the Australian Open trophy, it's incredible". Kerber then saved two match points to level the set. Regardless of what happens now, I've done my best.

Halep was visibly tiring in the second set and called a medical time-out, where a doctor took her blood pressure.

By the time she reached the semis, Halep had spent 9 hours and 56 minutes on court through five matches.

"My voice is shaking", said Wozniacki as she hoisted the winners' trophy.

"He said that he's really proud of me, of what I've done this tournament", Halep said.